Since the last post was over two weeks ago (and I don't feel like digging past that), I'll start a new thread.

Birdman finally hit Redbox this week. I liked it, but ... this is why the Oscars don't matter all that much. (And yet, I watch the Best Picture winner every year.) The acting was good, and I liked the drum-based score, but how does anyone think this was the best movie of the year? The Lego Movie and Guardians of the Galaxy both had more interesting story lines and characters than this.

ETA: And I'll elaborate a little on the acting. It shows that acting is acting. These were good, "serious" performances by people (Michael Keaton, Zach G., Emma Stone, Edward Norton) whom I know mainly for comedies and science fiction. Zach is both, because, while he's best known for comedies, I first knew him as the coroner in Tru Calling.

I thought its Oscar was well deserved. There was far more to it than the other films you mentioned. It was a film that wasn't just mindless action and a predictable plot and had something to say.

On Netflix, I discovered Mary and Max, an Australian stop-motion animated from from a few years ago that got no US distribution (despite opening Sundance). It's about a pen pal friendship between Mary, an 8-year-old Australian girl, and Max, a 44-year-old New Yorker with Aspergers. Funny and very poignant. Featuring the voices of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Toni Colette (as a grown up Mary), and Barry "Dame Edna" Humphries.

I know why it wasn't distributed -- it's not really a children's film.

Speaking of animation, the best animated film of last year was clearly The Book of Life.

Call it tooting my own horn if you must but I had similar feelings about Birdman. I really wish the Academy would let go of the "True Art is depressing as hell" meme. It'd be nice if I could see a recent Oscar-winning film without feeling like slitting my wrists afterwards.

Anyway, here's my review from the previous thread.

Quote:

Saw Birdman today and right now I'm glad I'm not a professional movie critic because I really don't know what to say about this movie. It's not something where you just spout of "This is Good," or "This is the worst piece of shit ever," it's just complicated that way. I will say that Michael Keaton deserves all the Oscar buzz he's getting, but I find myself thinking, "There's no way I'm sitting through this movie again." In fact, I can place Birdman in two different categories I have regarding entertainment: "Good but gives me Very little Viewing Pleasure" and "Good, Possibly Even Great Movies but Movies that Once You've seen once, there's no reason to see it again." Yeah, need to think of shorter names for my categories. Anyone wanna help me out?

Anyway, I think of it as being like the comic Watchmen. I'm able to recognize the creative genius and the skill in plotting and writing that kind of story, but from a reading standpoint, it gives me little pleasure. Or in short, the writer in me is impressed with the craft, but the reader in me is left cold by the story.

Anyway saw the live-action adaptation of Cinderella today. If nothing else, it was pretty to look at, and I don't regret seeing it, but I am a little disappointed. Kept thinking they were going to do something new with the age-old story, but they just played it straight. Found myself thinking of the Drew Barrymore version, Ever After. It's been years since I've seen it so I don't know how well it's aged, but it at least tried to do something new with an old story.

my 15 year old daughter and I went to see Chappie this weekend. We dont get to see much together due to her dance schedule -- and the stuff she watches at home is mostly Japanese Anime that i just don't understand -- so this was a good choice.

We really did enjoy it -- and feel it may have been dismissed due to the inclusion of Die Antwoord "Ninja" and Yoldani Fissure -- who are far from conventional.

its a serious but fun take on Pinocchio -- money well spent in my opinion.